I adore mineral make-up. I like knowing that my make-up doesn’t contain lots of nasty chemicals, I like the feel of it on my skin, I like that it doesn’t clog my pores. So when I heard about a new brand of mineral make-up I was very much looking forward to trying it out. If you haven’t heard of mineral make-up before it’s made up of natural minerals such as zinc, talc and iron oxides, elements that occur naturally within the world. These minerals are ground down into tiny particles to create powder make-up, and they don’t require any nasty preservatives, perfumes or dyes. Mineral make-up is very quickly growing in popularity and it’s thought to be very good for acne and sensitive skin as it doesn’t clog the pores like regular make-up can. JK Mineral Makeup is a new make-up range developed in the UK by Jody Knight, an elite permanent make-up artist. Jody uses permanent cosmetic treatments such as medical tattooing to help mask scars and create new...

A couple of months ago whilst out shopping in my local city of York I came across a new SPACE.NK shop that had opened. Up until recently SPACE.NK could only be found in major cities so to find one so close to home was very exciting. I love their mix of new up-and-coming brands, well known cult ranges and little luxuries. I couldn’t leave without treating myself, so I decided on this NARS Blush in Reckless. Earlier this year I wrote a post asking if blusher is going out of fashion? The current obsession with contouring and strobing products has overtaken the need for a good old flushed cheek, but while I do love highlighters I still enjoy playing around with different shades of blush. NARS packaging is so stylish and beautiful. The black blush compact has a rubbery finish and the lid lifts up to reveal a mirror inside, whilst the pressed powder itself is covered with a clear perspex cover with the NARS wording on it. Reckless is a...

So the hottest make-up trend on the block is currently contouring, everyone’s having a go (some successfully and some unsuccessfully!). Made ever more popular by Kim Kardashian’s pre-contour blending selfies that showed how even top celebrities need a bit of extra help to get that chiselled look. And have you seen Adele’s cheekbones in the Hello video!? Stunning. So in this contour fuelled frenzy has good old blusher lost its place in the make-up ranks? Are we all ditching the rosy cheeked fresh faced look for sharp cheekbones and highlighted nose tips? Personally I love a bit of blusher – it can give your face a real pick-me-up when you’re looking a bit pasty and tired, or a subtle glow in the Summer. Cream blush can double up as a lip product and it’s been a favourite product for so long that there’s a blusher out there to suit everyone. Did you know that blusher (called ‘rouge’ back then) was used as early as in Ancient Egypt? And crushed mulberries were...

I’ve had this Cream Blush from Bourjois in my list of products to review for absolutely ages, but just never got round to it. I think it’s because I tend to shy away from cream products, preferring powder options as I find them easier to apply. Anyway, I thought it was about time I bit the bullet and got my review written up… The Cream Blush comes in one of Bourjois’ iconic ‘Little Round Pots’ which are instantly distinguishable. There’s a mirror inside the lid too which is small but does the job. Bourjois Cream Blush is available in six shades, I’ve been testing out Nude Velvet (shade 01) which is a peachy shade perfect for paler skintones. The texture of the Cream Blush is a cream-to-powder formula, it feels creamy in the pot but once you apply it to your skin it feels much drier, almost like a powder consistency. I quite like this as I don’t like applying anything too wet over the top of my foundation and powder....

If you’ve not heard of Beauty Crowd before it’s an online beauty retailer with a difference – not only do they sell hand-picked beauty brands that are a little bit unique, they also provide a beauty community with a blog, look book of the latest trends and videos showing hints and tips on how to use their products. I’d never heard of either of the two brands before that I was sent to try out, Nicka K or Absolute, but I think it’s great that Beauty Crowd are offering something that you can’t get from the other big online beauty retailers. So how did I get on with my products? Nicka K Colorluxe Powder Blush – there are six shades of powder blush available, I’ve been using the Rose shade – it’s a bright rosy pink colour. The bottom of the pot holds the loose powder blush, then you unscrew the lid to reveal a soft velvety puff that you use to dab the blush directly onto your cheek. I...

I’ve already reviewed a couple of MUA powder Blushers (why not see what I thought about MUA Blusher in Shade 1) but this is the first of their Blush Perfection Cream Blushers that I have tried. Prior to my first experience with MUA make-up I had always been a bit of a beauty snob and thought that you get what you pay for, but evidently this isn’t true any more with more and more great budget beauty brands being launched. MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Bittersweet is a sugary bubblegum pink coloured cream blusher in a small rectangular compact. Sugary bluey-pinks are my favourite blush shades so Bitersweet is perfect for me. I apply the Cream Blusher to my cheekbones using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, this brush is perfect for applying cream products and I could probably do with ordering another one or two as I’m forever having to wash it to apply a different product. Just a tiny amount of the blusher should be added to the...

Contouring is big news at the moment in the make-up world and I love looking at ‘before and after’ pictures on Pinterest and Instagram. If you’re new to contouring then you might be interested in the Face Form palette from Sleek. I was actually looking to buy Sleek’s Face Contour Kit palette which is similar to this but doesn’t include a blush, so I went for this Face Form instead. I really love Sleek make-up and have recently reviewed their iDivine Palette in Storm and Blush by 3 in Pink Lemonade, both of which I can highly recommend. The Face Form palette contains 3 pressed powders of equal sizes, a dark contour powder, a pale highlighting contour powder and a blush. The dark contour powder is really nice, it’s a subtle matt bronze colour with no hint of shimmer and it works really well when blended under the cheekbones or around the contour of the forehead. Unfortunately I find the pale highlighting shade too shimmery and it leaves the...

I’ve got another fashion review for you today, just in time for the lovely Summer weather. It’s the Gisele Bundchen Ocean Sandal in Blush* from one of Brazil’s hottest flip flop brands, Ipanema. I’m not usually one to wear flip flops as I sometimes find that the toe post rubs between my toes, so I chose the Ocean Sandal as it has foot and ankle straps also so there’s not as much pressure between the toes. Designed by Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, the Ocean Sandal in Blush is a flat flip flop with a pretty mosaic bar of black, beige and rose gold coloured plastic ‘gems’ that runs down the front of the sandal. It has a golden beige coloured plastic ankle strap that fastens with a gold buckle and a strap that runs over the top of the foot, and has a pinky beige coloured flexible soft sole. I do find that the mosaic bar is very rigid and presses on the top of my foot when I...